THE

EUPHRADIAN FOUNDATION

Virtute Eloquentiaque

about us

"TO PROMOTE EDUCATION IN THE LIBERAL ARTS AND THE PRACTICE OF ORATORY IN THE INTERESTS OF A FREE AND ORDERED SOCIETY."

- Mission Statement-

OUR HISTORY

The Euphradian Society was founded by students of the University of South Carolina in 1806 as a forensic and literary society. For more than two centuries, the Euphradian Society has been committed to nurturing the art of oratory and cultivating the virtue of its members as part of an effort to preserve the liberal arts heritage of the University of South Carolina.

Today

Established in 2013, the Euphradian Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Columbia, South Carolina. The Foundation offers lectures, seminars, scholarships, and other resources throughout the year to advance our mission. We believe that virtue, eloquence, and civility are vital to the life of a free and ordered society, and we work to promote these timeless values in contemporary public discourse.

Photograph by Joshua David Thompson

Our PROGRAMS

Education is only education, inasmuch as it at once determines and enables the student to educate himself.... It cannot be too earnestly inculcated that knowledge is not the principal end of College instruction, but habits.

— James Henley Thornwell, Class of 1830

Oratorical Competition

Each year the Euphradian Foundation sponsors a scholarship competition for high-school seniors who are residents of South Carolina and commit to attending any accredited college or university in the state. Students will record and submit speeches on an assigned topic via YouTube. More information to follow.

SEMINARS & Lectures

The Euphradian Foundation supports the Euphradian Society in sponsoring public lectures throughout the year on topics ranging from freedom of speech to the purpose of higher education. We are committed to bringing renowned scholars to Columbia to address important issues relevant to the Foundation’s mission. These lectures are free to attend and open to members of the public.

Debate Workshop

The Euphradian Foundation hosts an annual Public Forum Debate workshop at the University of South Carolina for the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA). The workshop trains students in the fundamentals of public forum style debate and the rudimentary aspects of critical thinking, articulate speech, and effective argumentation.

Testimonials

"The Society has shaped most profoundly my education, my faith, and my values."

—Felician Stratmann, Class of 2014

"The Euphradian Society was a highlight of my time at the University of South Carolina."

—James Anderson, Class of 2015

“Courses in the regular curriculum were to be endured; the Clariosophic and Euphradian Societies of South Carolina College were where the real education took place”

—Drew Gilpin Faust, Historian and Harvard President

Photograph by Joshua David Thompson

CONTACT US

Have a question for the Euphradian Foundation regarding our programs, donations, fundraising, or general information? Let us know how we an help.